Fixing the Broken Ladder: Ways to Support Women's Workplace Success

Many early-career women face the "first broken rung," a systemic barrier that limits access to entry-level management, restricts advancement, and creates leadership gaps. The Project addresses this barrier through an Integrated Undergraduate Cohort Model that transforms Simmons University students' education into a professional and leadership incubator, and a paid, one-year Fellowship program with mentorship for early career professionals. These initiatives build promotion-ready skills and confidence, raise awareness of the broken-rung challenge, and drive organizational change.